The Battle of the Science Fiction Year's Best Super Editors
The Battle of the Science Fiction Year's Best Super Editors
No, no Royal semi-tag-team rumble, but something that I had been wondering about, and threemonkeys had mentioned it as well, wondering about the relative strengths of the various Year's Best SF series. Basically talking about the Dozois and those that started recently era, not the older variety which I pretty much never saw, and likely never will barring running across a stray, unless I actively go looking on abebooks or something.
Now, I haven't rated them all (and likely never will, could probably buy second hand a whole bunch of those older Carr or Wollheim SF books for what the first Dozois anthology costs). In the case of the Silverberg/Haber/Strahan variety I have, and Horton and Strahan up to what I have read of their new books, but as far as Strahan goes only have his 'short novels' inasmuch as they overlap with other things I have. Also, I have taken out his 'fairy handicap', too, as much as what I decided were fantasy at a quick look, he might vary on the odd couple. So only looking at his SF. Might have one story to read still of his short novels. The Dozois total is over half his stories, the Hartwell is over 40% or so.
The average story includes an individual entry for each unique Super Editor story, of course.
Obviously some tiny numbers in the older stuff, too, but just there for interest. As a rough estimate presumably the Hugo total numbers are on the order of 3 categories times 5 stories times 50 years, give or take some years and categories, so looking at on the order of 1/3 of those.
Hartwell Cramer 3.84 117
Dozois 3.83 331**
Strahan 3.81 50
Horton 3.77 39
Silverberg Haber Strahan 3.74 49
Average SF Story 3.49 3713
Hugo Story 3.80 255
Theodore Sturgeon Story 3.74 92
Nebula Story 3.71 251
Garnett 3.88 8
Carr 3.78 64
Wollheim 3.74 39
Wollheim Carr 3.59 29
Del Rey Dozois 3.54 35
Harrison Aldiss 3.50 14
Merril 3.48 47
Bleiler Dikty 3.43 21
**One note on this, if you look at Dozois in the 'new' era only, as mentioned in Space Opera, 1990 onwards, then 268 stories, for a 3.86 average, the older stories that I have rated are 3.67, didn't like the 10th collection much from memory.
As far as fantasy goes, don't go seeking it out as such in general, this is just what it appears I have come across.
The Undercard
Silverberg Haber Strahan Fantasy 3.75 10
Carr Fantasy 3.69 8
Strahan Fantasy 3.62 25
Horton Fantasy 3.57 22
Betancourt Wallace 3.50 8
Hartwell Cramer Fantasy 3.45 32
Carter Saha 3.41 23
Datlow et al 3.40 114
Jones 3.26 48
Wagner 3.26 21
Average Fantasy Story 3.32 1742
Bram Stoker Short Story 3.83 9
World Fantasy Short Story 3.49 61
Basically when it comes down to it, though, the real winners of The Battle of the Super Editors are us. More people reading all the stories picking a wider variety of good examples for us to look at and get more easily, and doing a better job of it than anybody else.
No, no Royal semi-tag-team rumble, but something that I had been wondering about, and threemonkeys had mentioned it as well, wondering about the relative strengths of the various Year's Best SF series. Basically talking about the Dozois and those that started recently era, not the older variety which I pretty much never saw, and likely never will barring running across a stray, unless I actively go looking on abebooks or something.
Now, I haven't rated them all (and likely never will, could probably buy second hand a whole bunch of those older Carr or Wollheim SF books for what the first Dozois anthology costs). In the case of the Silverberg/Haber/Strahan variety I have, and Horton and Strahan up to what I have read of their new books, but as far as Strahan goes only have his 'short novels' inasmuch as they overlap with other things I have. Also, I have taken out his 'fairy handicap', too, as much as what I decided were fantasy at a quick look, he might vary on the odd couple. So only looking at his SF. Might have one story to read still of his short novels. The Dozois total is over half his stories, the Hartwell is over 40% or so.
The average story includes an individual entry for each unique Super Editor story, of course.
Obviously some tiny numbers in the older stuff, too, but just there for interest. As a rough estimate presumably the Hugo total numbers are on the order of 3 categories times 5 stories times 50 years, give or take some years and categories, so looking at on the order of 1/3 of those.
Hartwell Cramer 3.84 117
Dozois 3.83 331**
Strahan 3.81 50
Horton 3.77 39
Silverberg Haber Strahan 3.74 49
Average SF Story 3.49 3713
Hugo Story 3.80 255
Theodore Sturgeon Story 3.74 92
Nebula Story 3.71 251
Garnett 3.88 8
Carr 3.78 64
Wollheim 3.74 39
Wollheim Carr 3.59 29
Del Rey Dozois 3.54 35
Harrison Aldiss 3.50 14
Merril 3.48 47
Bleiler Dikty 3.43 21
**One note on this, if you look at Dozois in the 'new' era only, as mentioned in Space Opera, 1990 onwards, then 268 stories, for a 3.86 average, the older stories that I have rated are 3.67, didn't like the 10th collection much from memory.
As far as fantasy goes, don't go seeking it out as such in general, this is just what it appears I have come across.
The Undercard
Silverberg Haber Strahan Fantasy 3.75 10
Carr Fantasy 3.69 8
Strahan Fantasy 3.62 25
Horton Fantasy 3.57 22
Betancourt Wallace 3.50 8
Hartwell Cramer Fantasy 3.45 32
Carter Saha 3.41 23
Datlow et al 3.40 114
Jones 3.26 48
Wagner 3.26 21
Average Fantasy Story 3.32 1742
Bram Stoker Short Story 3.83 9
World Fantasy Short Story 3.49 61
Basically when it comes down to it, though, the real winners of The Battle of the Super Editors are us. More people reading all the stories picking a wider variety of good examples for us to look at and get more easily, and doing a better job of it than anybody else.